Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Review : Happy Birthday by B.D. Roca

Synopsis

Jake Rushman is on the run, but it’s too late. He’s being tracked by an expert. Motorcycle Club Enforcer Nick is tough, but even he has a conscience. It’s slowly destroying him, together with memories of his parents’ ugly deaths. Nick eliminates the guilty, but Jake Rushman is the innocent witness to a murder. It will be one kill too many. Determined to find redemption, Nick plans to trade his life for Jake’s. Neither man counts on the fierce, powerful bond that the collision of their opposing worlds brings, and Jake refuses to let Nick sacrifice himself. He offers Nick the one thing he's never had: hope. But with a violent past tracking them, Nick might be forced to do the one thing he promised himself he never would—kill again.

Lisa’s Review

Happy Birthday is a stand-alone short novella by B.D. Roca. A quick and intense read about a biker with a death wish and the man he is trying to save.

After witnessing a murder, Jake Rushman is on the run and trying to evade his imminent death at the hands of the Bastard Legion MC. Nick is the club enforcer who has been charged with eliminating the “problem”. In other words, Nick is supposed to get rid of the witness that can land the biker club in a whole lot of hot water. However, Nick is done with the biker way of life that he had no choice but fall into at a very young age. Nick plans to walk a difficult path to redemption, one where saving Jake will be the last thing he ever does. When Jake and Nick come face to face, neither one expects a profound connection to develop. Neither one expects to fall in love.

This is a very quick read and there is a lot going on. While I did like the style of writing and the overall story arc, I did have some issues with its execution. I do realize that this is a novella and things between our two protagonists are supposed to move at a faster pace due to the length of the story. However, I wish the author would have developed the characters a little more, particularly Nick’s character. Nick goes from this individual who is simply done with life to someone who has hope, possibly for the first time in his life. I would have liked to see the author dive a little deeper. She certainly has talent as a writer and I feel like I would have connected with both Jake and Nick a little more had I been given more story. We do get a very decent story with a few sizzling hot stolen moments amidst all the chaos. And, I must say, those scenes were not only passion-filled and sexy but they were also a lot of fun to read.

All in all, Happy Birthday was an enjoyable read by B.D. Roca. This is not an overly long novella so if you are looking for something with little angst, is fun and a fairly easy read, this would be worth picking up.

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Meet B.D. Roca

B.D. Roca spent her early years in Brisbane, in a series of crumbling old houses laced with the smell of frangipani and surrounded by the hum of cicadas. Her gran raised her on ghost stories, quirky family history, and told her to beat up anyone who gave her attitude. This was not advice she took, although it does make a certain amount of sense. It may also account for her love of tough characters with a heart of gold.Between the old houses, feral cats, steamy heat, and history lessons, it was pure Australian gothic. She’s traveled a lot since then, but those times are still a powerful influence both on her worldview and writing.